Nice and nasty is a simple warmer to get students chatting about their preferences. This activity works well as an icebreaker on the first day of class but can also be used as a warmer at the beginning of class. In this activity, the teacher read out a list of different things. The students must listen and write the item in one of two sides of their page “nice” and “nasty”.  For example, the teacher may say “green vegetables” and the student would write the item down according to their opinion. Later, the students compare their lists and see how similar or different their tastes are.

Activity time: 5 – 10 minutes
Level: teens and young learners (A2 +)
Skills practiced: Speaking, listening and writing.

 

Method

1. Give students a piece of paper and have the students divide the piece of paper in two. One section for ‘Nice’ and another for ‘Nasty’.
2. Explain to students that you are going to call out a list of different things, places and people. The students should write each item in one of the two sides according to their preference. 
3. After, have students compare their answers and see how similar or different their tastes are. 

 

Some ideas of things you could mention:
Vegetables
Homework
Winter
Summer
Holidays
Justin Bieber
English grammar
Apple
Spicy food
Music
Sport
Dancing
Singing
Computer games